recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯr-dər 

1

a

: the chief judicial magistrate of some British cities and boroughs

b

: a municipal judge with criminal jurisdiction of first instance and sometimes limited civil jurisdiction

2

: one that records

3

: any of a group of wind instruments ranging from soprano to bass that are characterized by a conical tube, a whistle mouthpiece, and eight finger holes

Illustration of recorder

• recorder 3

Examples of recorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Matthew's favorite moment is seeing an almost mischievous Reeve raise an eyebrow, smile and look deep into the camera, usually a home video recorder wielded by his doting wife, Dana. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024

The committee previously supported Jordan Marks' successful run for county assessor, recorder, clerk, and Janessa Goldbeck's unsuccessful run for county supervisor. —Andrew Keatts, Axios, 9 Oct. 2024

There was no cockpit recorder or flight data recorder, but investigators pieced together the aircraft’s movements from its GPS tracker and ground radar data. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024

That creates an immense amount of research for county recorders statewide. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing recorder

• cockpit voice recorder
• flight data recorder
• flight recorder
• strip-chart recorder
• tape recorder
• videocassette recorder
• videotape recorder
• wire recorder

Kids Definition

recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯrd-ər 

1

: a person or device that records

2

: a musical instrument consisting of a usually wooden tube with finger holes and a whistle mouthpiece

Legal Definition

recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er

1

: a judge of a municipal court

2

: a public officer charged with making a record of writings or transactions (as conveyances)

a recorder of deeds